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Thread: Liftgate won't latch

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    albuquerque nm
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    03 540iT M Sport

    Liftgate won't latch

    03 540iT M-Sport 139k miles.

    Among lots of other little things, the most annoying thing at the moment is that the liftgate has an intermittent failure to latch. I say now it's intermittent, but it's happening much more often lately.
    When I close it, it has one click, but the motor drive that sucks it totally closed is what operates only about 25% of the time now.
    Any clues?
    I've not been able to find anything in the archives (I have horrible luck using the Search feature for BF, but that's another subject).
    TIA,
    mike

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Same thing I said in last thread - look at the wires that run thru the hinges - especially if intermittent.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Alexandria, VA
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    ‘01 540’00 528T’03 525T
    Yup, the wire channel in the hinge, covered by the plastic trim is really too tight, after so many years of opening and closing, the wires get pulled tight and they get frayed up little by little, exposing copper, which then gets attacked by moisture, and the black copper death begins, eventually, too much resistance causes your stuff to start failing.
    Set the controls for the heart of the sun

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Thanks CPHES and BMUS, I'll check the wires under the hinge next weekend when I get back from my trip. (I won't be in this car though).
    m

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    86 911, 91 XJ
    This started happening to me yesterday. Hatch won't latch. Soft close function doesn't work and I get the hatch ajar warning. Haven't had a chance to pull the covers and check the wiring.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
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    Sam - you show in NYC - the hinge pins rust out. I had that happen. Be careful. If it pops, you will struggle to get it latched again

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
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    03 540iT M Sport
    I was able to look under the hinges for the liftgate (not the window). The right hinge had a bigger bundle so I pulled the tape off that bundle, spread the wires and found no obvious cuts or fraying or anything unusual. Nonetheless the latch started sucking in as it should. I gently tugged on the wires and nothing came loose. I re-taped in a couple spots and re-assembled, but the covers back on and the latch is still working correctly. For how long I can't guess.
    I looked in my Bentley manual (boy what a nightmare that is to find anything in, in the Elect book anyway) and it looks like the wire to the actuator is a Gray/Green wire (see attached).
    I'm assuming the actuator is the "M17, ZV drive rear lid". Am I looking at this correctly?
    Liftgate schematic, 2:3.jpg
    Thanks, as always,
    mike
    Last edited by 76R90S; 09-18-2022 at 11:06 PM.

  8. #8
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    Anyone know how to remove the hatch panels to expose the wiring? I don't want to destroy all of the panels during removal. The wires are caked in dirt and grime but no obvious damage. Which side of the loom contains the controls for the hatch soft close?


  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Open the hatch - there are plastic covers on the hinges - there are 2 torx screws on each side. You can take the screws off, and pull the covers off carefully. That will be the most likely place for a broken wire. And the hardest place to splice. I ‘think’ if you can pull the speakers out, you might get some more access to wires.

  10. #10
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    Checked there already. Couldn't identify any damage. Was wondering which side of the hatch the wiring running along the perimeter contains the loom for the latch function.


  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Replaced the hatch struts and I guess whatever was faulty is no longer faulty

    Hatch works perfectly.


  12. #12
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    There is a spring on the big struts. I imagine the if one broke in a way that the strut could not compress all the way, you might not latch. I had one side where it was broken into 3 pieces. Glad you found it. That is not the most fun job.

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    I got my problem fixed. It turned out to be the GM3 module. As it turns out my rear door locks stopped working also. Edjack suggested that the soft close feature and the rear door locks are both controlled by the GM3 and that the GM might be the issue. Indeed that was the case. I found someone to repair ($130) my module for much less that a new one ($400+).
    Here's the thread on all that: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-GM3-questions

    Thanks everyone for your help.
    Last edited by 76R90S; 12-30-2022 at 12:25 AM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
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    Funny I think mine might ALSO have this problem. While the hatch warning is gone and everything is functioning. I have noticed that the rear locks are slower than the fronts


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